


Laser Tag your Back

by 29PheonixLement



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-07-14 12:02:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16040093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/29PheonixLement/pseuds/29PheonixLement
Summary: Formally known as ‘Regina’s Happy Ending’ this was originally going to be another of my attempts at an Outlaw Queen story with some miner Curious Archer thrown in at the end because come on if original Robin is coming back to life he deserves to meet his daughter and his daughter’s adorable true love. It’s not how it turned out but I’m liking it better this way anyways  Happy reading





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know the last thing I need to be doing is posting another multi-chapter story when I have so many started but few actually finished but this one just wouldn’t leave my head.

She was still reeling from the shock of it all.

Robin.

Her Robin.

Her true love and happy ending was quiet literally back from the dead to stay without any huge magical price to pay. A man who was currently standing where Zeus had left him framed in the doorway of her study wearing the same clothes he died in staring at her with all the love in the world was really gauntly back.

"Regina." The reborn outlaw whispers breaking the stunned haze the good queen had fallen into as he closed the distance between them.

Regina rose from her chair on unsteady legs her eyes still glued to Robin's face drinking him in as she rounded the desk for the second time that day. "Regina." the man now standing in front of her repeated in that husky timbre of his that had Regina weak at the knees as her outlaw backed the queen of the united realms up until she was forced to sit down on the edge of her desk or fall back over the top of it. Reminding them both of the time Robin had come to her while she was hiding in her vault to tell her about the code he tries to live by and how that night wasn't going to be one of those days.

His lips tasted even better against her own than her hazy memories and her dreams could conger up even with the 'fresh' memory from the vision she'd had in the dungeon of the Wish Realm waiting for Henry to kill her. Her outlaw swallowed another of her little moans with an even deeper kiss as her hands fisted more in the lapels of his jacket needing him closer while the hand not bracing him against her desk tangled in her hair that was no doubt longer than when he'd seen her last.

"Robin." She begged feeling the scrap of his stubbled chin scraping down her neck as well as the growing tent in his pants when she shifts into a steadier footing while the resurrected outlaw finished with the buttons on her blouse leaving her exposed to his touch.

She half expected him to vanish when her eyes opened at the sound of her front door rebounding against the doorframe but his dark growl and the heat of his body against hers proved that he was still solidly in the room with her.

"Let me handle this." She insisted when he half turned toward the door as the sound of frantic running could be heard on the other side of the closed study door. "Hurry back my Lady." He groaned against her throat making it even harder for Regina to pull herself away from him much less fix her shirt into a more presentable if not unevenly buttoned state as she headed to the door.

"Roland? Margot? What are you two doing?" Regina asked half scolding due to the untimely interruption while also half gauntly curious as to what the other two were up to once she was sure the study door was closed behind her keeping her Robin safe and hers for a little while longer.

"Outlaws vs Pirates." Her niece panted after rolling over the back of the sofa while her half-brother dove for cover behind an armchair. "its sudden death Gina help us out here please." Roland begged after a quick look around at the new layout of battle. "Even when the pirate's side is cheating and letting a defector on her team." He added bitterly

"Aww I love you to tinder foot."

Regina turned to see Alice and her teammate strolling into the still open front door. "Lissa! I didn't know you were coming to visit this time." the villainess turned good queen gaped pulling them both in for a greeting hug.

Despite their friendship being completely curse created she and Alice were still as thick as thieves with Angel 'Lissa' Locksley happily being the little John to her Robin Hood as Alice tells it with a playful laugh and a mildly annoyed glare from Robin and Roland.

Having quickly bonded over having to grow up in the system only to leave and needing to find a way to survive on the streets of Hyperion Heights Lissa had been part of Tilly's two women gang during the curse. A gang that had fast broken up once Tilly had started dating the woman that would turn out to be a spy for Victoria. For her part, Roni had tried to look out for Lissa after her and Tilly's fallout giving her a job and a place to stay only for her to take off without a word once she heard Margot was back in town. The three of them hadn't even seen one another again until a chance run-in during the 'we broke another curse' after party party at the bar.

It was also there that they found that Lissa's real name actually was 'Angel' and not just a nickname Tilly had given her so seem cooler while they were working odd jobs for Weaver in surveying every little thing that went on in the Heights but that she was also dating Robin's half-brother Roland but having been visiting family in the Enchanted Forest when the curse was cast leaving her fiancé with the rest of the Merry Men back in Sherwood she like everyone else had been trapped under the sleeping curse for two years.

Roland had been searching everywhere for her of course and once all the realms had been brought together the star-crossed pair had found one another again and going by the snickering the original pair had been doing as they watched had mirrored Snow and David's reunion by running into each others arms for a kiss right in the middle of main street.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to see you Lis, but do you really think this is asking a lot." Regina asked nodding to the start of the baby bump Lissa was sporting still trying to buy her Robin time to find a decent hiding place given the growing number of people dropping by the house.

Angel laughed at that tossing her sandy blonde hair over her shoulder still watching her targets out of the corner of her eye as she answered, "I appreciate your concerns Genia really I do but if Alice's girl can survive your sister being her mom then my baby Hood can survive helping me chase her Dad and Auntie Targo around to win a game of laser tag." Caressing her slightly swollen stomach as she spoke.

"Hey, don't go their baby momma." Robin snapped but knew it was all said in fun and as a way to try and distract her from trying to coordinate a strategy with Roland.

"You might be my sister by curse Lis, but you still don't get to call her Targo only I call her Targo." Alice reminded them earning a laughed "Love you to Tower Girl." From Robin "If you love me so much then come out here and tell me properly." Alice suggests exchanging a teasing wink with Angel.

"You know I am already hopelessly in love you Jones but not enough to forfeit." Robin corrects "I second that Tony." Roland puts in chancing a running dive toward Robin and the couch for more cover under a hail of missed shots from the other two and also missed cover fire from his sister.

Alice pouted but recover quickly spinning her toy gun around her finger "Have fun sleeping on the sofa tonight love." She says but they can all hear the sarcasm in her voice as clear as day. "You wouldn't." Robin gasped playing along after sharing a node with her brother.

"Don't even think about it Whirlwind." Alice says already leveling her plastic gun in threatening warning as soon as her target had maneuvered enough for her to see while her second-best best friend pointed hers over toward the other end of the sofa with a cooed "put the gun down Nobin nice and easy."

"You are really pushing your luck Ang." Alice groans but knowing her friend was only doing it to get a rise out of her. "Then don't call my boyfriend Whirlwind and I'll think about it." Angel replied.

Regina guessed Margot and Roland had been trying to use the distraction of her Robin knocking something over in the study making a loud clattering noise in their favor, but she was too preoccupied with hoping he was alright to really focus on what was going on right in front of her. She zoned back in while Alice and Angel were coxing their teammate's reluctant true love out of there hiding place hands raised after sliding their guns over to Alice's feet in grudging surrender.

"We should go see what that was." Roland points out as he and his half-sister rounded the back of the couch, but Regina jumped in with a fast "I just left the window open that's all and it's so windy outside lately." Deterring any plans of anyone but herself opening the study door. "I'll clean it all up later it's fine." She promises when the other four send her puzzled looks.

"You know if this was a game with bows and not guns we would be kicking your butts." Roland snapped moving his hands behind his head while beside him Margot was already dropping to her knees in front of Alice her head down sending her angry glare into the floor between them.

Alice and Angel let out duel squeaks in surprise when their toy weapons were somehow sent flying from their hands to be left hanging by the trigger guards in the door frame by a single rather expertly fired arrow. Regina looking quickly toward the study to find her own outlaw giving her a rather stirringly playful wink before the door eases closed again.

"Outlaws win." Robin and Roland chorused rolling effortlessly to their feet with matching smug smiles while high fiveling their victory yet without taking the shots needed to make the stamen official.

"Hu-Uh no way is this fair you two cheated somehow the game is ours." Angel growled still rubbing her hand to get rid of the sting. "Hey, my sister and I might be thieves and yes we might tell the occasional lie when we need to but the only people we cheat and lie to are those who deserve it and you two lovely ladies are most defiantly not those kinds of people." Roland corrected taking Angel's hand in his own pressing his lips against her 'injury'.

Lissa rolled her eyes yet wasn't able to stop the shy smile at the gesture "Don't try to smooth talk your self out of this Locksley." She scolded following Robin and Alice toward the kitchen with Regina following behind them all with one last guilty look toward the still closed door to the study.

"What are you four doing here really?" Regina asks once they were all crowded into the kitchen and a pot of hot chocolate had been set up on the stove to heat up.

The mood tangibly changes at the question. The humor quickly turning to a more somber mood as the two Locksley looked at one another then down at the countertop leaving it to either Alice or Angel to answer for them. "We didn't want you to be alone today is all." Alice says in a quiet voice.

It takes a full two minutes and more than a little gazing around in confusion for Regina to catch on to what they were talking about. That was until her eyes landed on the calendar over her niece's shoulder. "Oh." Was all she could come up with as she counted the ticked off marks to the current date.

The 8th of May.

The day Robin died saving her and his baby daughter from Hades.

"And going by how messed up your hair is you slept at your desk again." His now-grown daughter pointed out over the rim of the mug her brother's girlfriend handed her. Regina blushed at the reminder of what they had interrupted biting her lip to keep from groaning for the same reason. "Dad wouldn't want you sad and on your own now you don't have anything really to distract you today." Roland picked up in a low whisper after taking a long drink from his mug after obediently scooted over to make his shoulder a better pillow for Angel as they cuddled together as best they could sitting at the kitchen island while Alice had hopped up onto the counter and had pulled Margot to stand between her legs to hold her better yet mostly so she could rest her chin against her fiancée's shoulder without too much hassle.

"This is all very sweet but I'm fine," Regina promised looking around the kitchen into everyone's concerned gaze. "Honestly I'm alright." She repeats when none of them seem convinced. "Oh, what fresh hell is this?" she muttered fighting down the throb between her legs at the thought of the man she loved still hiding out in her study waiting for her when the front door opened again just as the second round of hot chocolate whistled that it was finished.

"Hello to you as well sister mine." Zelena greeted strolling into the kitchen with her signature smirk and a greeting hug. "Chad's getting everything settled at the house he'll be by later." She waved away when Margot seemed to be looking over her shoulder toward the door as if she was expecting it to open again. "Hello, Rolo sweetheart," Zelena added moving around the room to give Roland and Angel hugs as well.

"Well, have you told them yet?" was her greeting to her daughter making Margot splutter into her cocoa and almost drop the cup completely as she let Alice answer for her while the blonde rubbed calming circles against her back. "No Zelena we hadn't yet."

"Why ever not?" the redhead asks in amazement as if choosing to ignore Margot's pleading watery gaze as she caught her breath from nearly burning her throat on the hot drink.

"Mom drop it." She wheezed in a croaky whisper shrinking back into Alice's hold at all the expectant looks now directed at them. "What's so important that you haven't even told me yet, but you've told Kels?" Roland asked the hurt and betrayal clear in his eyes. "A) because she's my mother and she bullied it out of us and two because it wasn't the right time alright." Margot defended trying to hide in Alice's protective hold only to have Alice clinging onto her for the same reason when Lissa leveled her equally wounded gaze on the couple. "Ditto." Alice squawked tucking her head against Robin's shoulder to hide in vain from Angel's burning eyes.

"Not the right time? Robin this is the perfect time for something like this." Zelena all but yelled at them making Regina wince at the volume but also what it could do to the newly alive again man in her study when her sister continued talking. "I mean for crying out loud darling. My grown-up daughter. My only child as if yet has finally decided to set a date to marry her true love. I'd have thought the whole U.R would have known by now if not your own Aunt."

"What do you mean your grown-up daughter?"

Everyone besides Regina spun toward the cracked voice. Margot and Roland somehow even leveling twin crossbows at the speaker while standing defiantly in front of the woman they loved.

"What did you mean Zelena?" Robin of Locksley asked again acting as if the two that could possibly be his own children weren't holding him at arrow point at the moment as his eyes stayed fixed on the woman that seduced and for lack of a better term for it raped him just to get back at her sister and his true love.

"Robin this isn't the best time for this." Regina piped up interlocking their fingers together while also gesturing for Roland and Margot to loser their weapons. Not that they listened to her. If anything, the move just made them grip onto them tighter.

"How long have I been gone?" Robin asked his eyes now looking down at his true love. "It's compl…." Regina started to say but her outlaw cut her off "How long." He implored needing to know before he went mad.

"In our timeline almost twenty-eight years." Roland answered starting to lower his crossbow after a few seconds of staring at the man that looked like an exact copy of his long-dead father, "Give or take a few years I mean everything's all a bit hazy when it comes to time." He added earning a shaky laugh from Angel and Alice and even Zelena joined in after some thought.

"Twenty-eight years." Robin stammered out his eyes stinging in tears when he thought over the little baby girl in her pink blanket that he had been holding just a few moments ago before facing Hades or his young son running around the woods with Little John. "I missed it all." He realized feeling Regina's arms wrapping around him while his legs threatened to give out.

"Papa." The man in front of him yelped dropping his crossbow to move to the falling man's other side worry clear on his face blurred as it was by Robin's tears.

"Roland." The older archer chocked out in realization letting Regina untangle herself from them to let Robin filly collapse into his son's strong arms. "Papa." His adult son answered holding onto Robin just as hard if not harder than his father was holding him.

The sound of something heavy clattering to the floor and Zelena's worried tearful cry of "Robin sweetheart wait." Pulled the reunited pair out of their haze just in time to see a whip of blonde hair that Roland at least knew to be Alice's flash around the corner then the tell-tale slam of the front door and the subsequent roar of a motorcycle being kicked into life out in the driveway.

Robin Sr, Roland, Zelena and Regina all rushed out with Lissa slowly bringing up the rear given she didn't want to put any more added stress on the baby by hurrying even to go after someone she thought of as her sister and the woman she loved.

Lissa at least made it out to the front porch just on time to catch her boyfriend's stolen motorcycle turning off too fast down the block with Robin in front guiding the groaning bike into the hairpin turn with Alice clinging onto her for dear life leaving Roland and Zelena standing in the middle of the street with Robin and Regina on their knees at the start of the sidewalk staring at the spot where the bike had been parked just that morning.

"If you're trying their cells don't bother," Angel said seeing Zelena already had her phone out and pressed to her ear. "It won't do you any good." the streetwise girl repeated holding up both Robin and Alice's phones for them to see.


	2. A Family of her Own

It was Roland and Angel that gave them the breakthrough they needed after their daughter drove off too fast down the road cutting off all contact with any of her family.

However, given the last conversation with his son ended with Roland saying, “I found her but there was an accident,” gave Robin pause to forgive the breakneck speed Zelena was pushing the car as the pair barreled down the road knowing that much like himself Zelena wanted to see their daughter before either would conclude she was going to be alright given the list of injuries Roland managed to get from the bleach blonde doctor who treated her along with an address of where the pair was now staying.

Yet the archer was rather amazed that a broom wasn’t the only thing Zelena knew how to drive these days and wondering for the hundredth time why she hadn’t just used her magic to get them there sooner seeing how much she liked using it the last time he’d been around until he remembered rather painfully how long be been gone once again.

“Try calling Regina again.” the reformed wicked witch ordered snapping him out of his own mind as she smoothly guided the grumbling car around another bend in the road tossing her cell phone into the passenger seat, so it landed right in Robin’s lap.

It took him a few minutes to remember how to work the talking phone enough to find Regina’s number and hit the call button. It went right to voice mail seeing as the Queen of the United Realms had been pulled always to couldn’t be missed causal meetings.

“Regina, we found them. Roland said the doctor told him Peanut was hurt jumping out a window or something so Zelena and I are on our way now to check on her ourselves. Meet us as soon as you can please.” He adds ending the call quickly to brace himself as best he could at another sharp turn this time off the main road onto a dirt path into the woods.

“Seems we walk from here.” Zelena concludes when the car suddenly stalls out overheated making the man beside her let out a soft chuckle when she hits the steering wheel in upset as if that would get the thing to start again. “Should we be on the lookout for traps?”

That got a soft grumbling that the archer couldn’t make out as they got out of the car. “She is her father’s daughter after all.” She admits as they started out.

For once Robin found Zelena was right mostly snaring traps that even the keen-eyed legend had a hard time spotting and an even harder time avoiding.

Seems like hours later that they made it within sight of the farmhouse.

Robin reaches the front door first not wanting to risk his companion roasting the door down in her anger.

“God forgot how much I disliked that mutt.” Zelena groans at the high-pitched yelps the archer’s knocks produced from the other side of the door before it’s opened with a gruff “Toto enough.” Followed immediately by a groaned “Should have known you’d find us eventually.”

“I want to see my daughter.” Zelena answers to worried and angry to start in on the obvious magic blocking shielding the young witch had used to hide her little girl from her all this time. “She’s resting and shouldn’t be stressed any more than she already is.” Dorothy says meeting the mother’s rage with an equal fury of her own.

“She’s my daughter.”

“And it’s my house your daughter is staying in at the moment.”

It was a combination the loud falling thumps and Dorothy’s frantic “Dammit Vixen.” As she turned back to look into the house that stopped any more arguments and had the worried father shoving passed her into the house he had no invitation to be in but the dark-haired woman soon overtook him in his run down the hallway sprinting back the way he guessed she’d come only to find his path at least bared by a white spotted wall of growling fur and slobber as he was knocked to the ground sending both himself and his attacker to the hardwood of the floor just shy of what Robin assumed was the hallway to a downstairs bedroom.

“You know Alice is going to kill me when she gets back for letting this happen right?” The Ozian was scolding not seeming to notice the archery legend’s delima in the hall just feet from the now open door.

“Not if we don’t tell her about it, she won’t.” Margot reasons obviously trying to downplay her pain as she’s helped up “I thought they were back already.”

Robin felt his heart breaking at the pain in his little girl’s voice despite his current predicament of being trapped under what was, in reality, a beast that rivaled the size of a young adult Saint Bernard but to the trapped archer the animal could only be described as a living mountain of fur and muscles that seemed to get angrier the longer he tried to move out from under it.

Zelena, on the other hand, was being backed toward the open front door by two other dogs. One a dusty chocolate colored mutt and the other a creamy white shepherded. Toto having chosen to return to sitting in the doorway to the recovery room while the other three bigger dogs dealt with the intruders.

“Hey, cujos.” Robin and Zelena hear Regina threaten over the sounds of the triple round of growling from the animals but a low bird call like whistle seemed to relieve some of the pressure against his chest before she could do more than somehow summoning a fireball into her palm.

“Good boy Reo. Now Woods, Cas enough.” Emma intervenes again when the two herding Zelena to the door didn’t back down. “Don’t make me call your Mom.” The savior scolds stepping around the angry queen into the house just as Robin hears his daughter yelling “Emma don’t let them hurt our boys,” from the bedroom no doubt smelling the scent of the still burning fire in the air.

“Casper, Sherwood get over here you goofs that’s Emma you know we like Emma.”

It was as if a switch had been flipped. The pair stopped growling at once turning as one to pad back to the doorway Dorothy was now standing in. Zelena chose not to let on how hurt she was over the whispered “Good boys.” Her former enemy cooed to the pair ruffling their scruffs in turn as they passed her back into Robin’s recovery room. Dorothy gives a small smile at the pouting “Did that mean lady try to hurt you, babies?” Margot coos tilting her head back into the room to see Robin now sandwiched between the pair. “Okay I have to send this to them it's so cute.” She says pulling out her phone for a photo op.

“Hey yeah, Oreo.” Emma greets then the third guard ‘dog’ padded over to her rolling her eyes at the playful groan Dorothy gives her sending the savior a wink over her shoulder “Okay arrow girl smile.” The hero coxes as Regina helps her legendary boyfriend to his feet. “You’ve grown up a bit since I saw you last huh.” Emma comments with a laugh making the other three gape at the now puppy like bark ‘Oreo’ lets out at the affectionate scratch behind his ears the savior gives him.

“Monkey.” Zelena gasps making the other two look over to the younger woman now framed in the doorway. She was dressed in loose fitting workout clothes her left leg was in a cast her right arm in a brace and from what they could see of her stomach and right side of her body she was also recovering from some nasty looking burns as well.

“Figured if I only got one more chance to be Robin Hood might as well make it good.” The stubborn girl shrugs seeing their stares then her eyes find Dorothy’s then she looks over to Emma and the two share a nonverbal conversation with Margot’s eyes flickering between the other three then to the front door before tilting her head to the living room and Emma shaking her head nodding to kitchen then the two sharing an agreeing node. “You know I feel left out when you do that.” Dorothy joked gently sliding her arm around Margot’s waist.

“Hey, you and Alice do it to us all the time.” Margot points out with a shaky laugh when Dorothy simply stuck her tongue out at her

It's Emma that heards the other three into the kitchen while the pair limps their way to the living room with the rest of the pack following loyally behind them.

“How much do you know about what happened?” the savior asks gesturing for them to takes seats around the table. She seems to take the original Robin’s return in stride even sending him a weak smile as she takes a seat herself while he opts to stand behind Regina with his shoulder presses against the side of the refrigerator “Only that Rob…erm that Margot was hurt.” Regina answers

Emma nodes to herself at that pulling out her phone as she starts in. “Well, you know that from time to time Robin would help out at the firehouse.” Zelena and her sister node at this while Robin Sr takes in the new information in pride. “Well, she and Alice were bringing Briel here officially when she spotted the smoke….”

Robin chooses to hunt in the refrigerator for refreshments to give himself something to do rather than letting himself listen. It's not that he wasn’t proud of his daughter for what she did even if she didn’t have his name but that didn’t stop the ache he felt at seeing his little girl hurt like she was.

“….so really it wasn’t her choice to jump out the window it was simply the only option left in the state she was in before the place collapsed in on her.” Emma finishes but before Zelena could ask she answers. “Sydney pulled some strings to keep it quiet. The last thing we needed was reporters hounding the house when all they wanted was to get Briel settled in after everything she’d been through.”

“Who’s Briel?” the Robin behind Regina asks before wither woman could do more than begin to process everything they had just been told hoping to change the subject to a happier topic.

“Remember that little girl Margot and Tilly were fostering on and off during the curse?” Emma asks more than grateful for the change yet again talking to the two at the table rather than the no longer dead man again. Not that Robin bothered being upset with this for the most part.

Both mothers’ node wearing matching masks of anger at the memories of the little girls living situation and recognition of just who they were talking about when the blonde slid her phone around showing them a picture of the little girl in question.

Robin looks over Regina’s shoulder curiously. The little girl couldn’t have been more than three-year-old with light colored brown hair that seemed red under the sunlight in the picture with light ice blue colored eyes similar to the blonde’s holding her. He guessed his daughter had taken the picture seeing as it was only the toddler and Alice in the frame both giving the camera rather devilish looking grins.

“Well, the state finally realized those people weren’t parent material.”

“Took them long enough. She deserves so much better.”

“And thanks to Gideon, Archie and Rogers helping out with the legal stuff the girls are going to be able to officially adopt her before she will be put into the system.” Emma continues as if Regina hadn’t spoken yet with a light agreeing smile at her words.

“Well, that explains the name change.” Zelena says her eyes shining in unshed tears. “New life new name.” Her own little girl was a mother now herself.

Emma chuckled at that “Yeah and she picked it out all by herself.” When Robin at least looked at her expectantly for an explanation but its Zelena that answers with a laughed “Given how often those three would fall asleep watching Xena I’m not surprised.”

“What about her hearing?” Regina asks shuddering at the memory of finding out that little part of her new relation’s story from Roni’s memories.

“Blue and Whale are trying to make a hearing aid for her, so she can keep the little she has in her left ear. Make it as if she has full hearing instead of what she has now but the right one” Emma shakes her head sadly. “the damage is just too much that not even magic will fix it.”

They fall silent when the front door opens again “Red do you have any more cereal?” Alice is asking over the sounds of a rather fussy toddler as she crossed over the threshold into the house.

The three stop at the entry to the kitchen just in time for the four to see the cute giggling smile Briel gives at Ruby’s “Here you go beautiful” as she hands over a few colorful circles of the snack makes both Robin and Zelena think of their own daughter.

“See told you we had company.” The she-wolf teases tilting her head toward the half-full kitchen without taking her eyes away from the younger girl in Alice’s arms while she ate. “sshh Brie it’s alright.” Alice says rubbing her back to calm her when the girl clings onto her in a panic shrinking away from the sight of so many people.

“Puppy.” The little girl grins at the sounds of running paws on hardwood floors came from the living room.

Robin, Regina, and Zelena all flinch when its Oreo that reaches them first the animal easy coming to eye level with the toddler in Alice’s arms sitting down as it was in front of the blonde. “Not puppy sweetheart he’s a baby Bandersnatch.” Alice corrects earning a puzzled pout from Briel and a chuckled “Give it up babe to her Oreo’s a big toothy puppy” from Margot that was almost eminently followed by Dorothy’s encouraging “You tell her Gabs.” at Briel’s sulk of “Puppy” while wrapping her little arms around Oreo’s neck from the circle of Alice’s arms.

“And here comes the rest of the brat pack.” Emma chimes in resting her hip against the kitchen doorway as Sherwood, Casper, and Toto were peeking out from the other room.

Ruby nodded at some unspoken request from Alice. “Piggyback?” Ruby suggests tapping Briel on her shoulder to get the girl to look over at her before she asks. The toddler looks around to the faces around her stopping more than once at Robin before looking back at Ruby and nodding holding out her arms to the she-wolf.

“Want RoRo.” The three-year-old says when she was securely placed against Ruby’s back with her little hands fisted against the waitress’s sweatshirt to hold herself up. “Pes.” she adds nuzzling her face against Ruby’s hair making everyone else melt at the sweetness of her words.

Ruby nodes “you heard her boys she wants RoRo.” The wolf woman says earning several happy barks from the dogs around her legs three of the four breaking away to follow her while Oreo chose to follow Alice into the kitchen.

“Mind get out the cereal for me?” Alice asks meeting her soon to be father in law’s eyes for the first time as she heads to the fridge for a jug of apple juice and nine bottles of water. “Zelena grab a few of those pretzels please.” She instructs setting the juice jug down with a quick “Gina if you please.” Pointing toward the deep blue cup. “She finally picked a favorite.” It was only after she’d picked it up that the former Evil Queen noticed what was painted onto it.

“Has she seen this?” Emma smirks at the question “Yep. Poor kid was thirsty, so they stopped in at Granny’s for a juices refill. She heard someone say Mom’s name and she went right up to her looked between Mom and her cup then pointed to the cup then to her and said, ‘You a Pinsess.’ Safe to say everyone in the family is in love with her already,” She admits tossing her signature red jacket on the back of a chair as Alice turns to look at her “Baby carrots and cheese cubs got it,” the savior says earning a smile and a sing-song “Thanks Kind of Mom.” from Alice as she sets about getting plates and cutting of some apples.

Regina looks to her Robin as they each take plates Alice even balancing one on Oreo’s head letting him lead the way back into the living room with a warning call of “I’m calling break time so Red, Galwind stop kissing and come eat something.” Bringing twin grumbles of “How do you always know” and “Why do you always call a break when we just start to kiss?” and a giggled “Kiss Kiss.” From Briel.

“Are you going to be okay with this?” the Queen asked resting her hand against her outlaws’ arm.

“This is her life now. I want to be in it as much as she will let me.”

Despite meaning every word of what he’d just said to her Robin hadn’t made it three steps into the living room passing off the snack plates he was carrying to their intended owners when another giggled command of “Kiss Kiss.” Was announced this time with the three-year-old looking toward his daughter and Alice.

“No Brie Brie.” Margot says shaking her head her eyes flickering toward but not meeting her father’s standing in the entryway. “RoRo Kiss Kiss.” The toddler insists pouting now.

Alice tries to get by with just press a kiss against Robin’s cheek but that does more harm than good when a look to the toddler sitting in Dorothy’s lap was Toto cuddled up against her side showed that said toddler was close to shedding more than a few angry tears.

“Guys.” Ruby warns sitting on the floor at Dorothy’s side with Casper laying with his head against one knee and Sherwood sleeps against the other.

“Come on Monkey just kiss your girl.” Zelena says talking around a bite of a carrot stick.

“Oh My God. You got my sister to quote that crab you have to kiss now.” Regina laughs dodging the playful elbow Zelena throws to her side as she sits down beside her not wanting to test sitting down beside the napping Bandersnatch laying in front of the only open chair.

“Kiss Kiss.” Briel tries again hopeful this time as he like Robin looked between the two.

Alice shrugs but she like Margot knew from their cursed memories that Briel wouldn’t accept anything but a real proper kiss. “Best make it a good one huh?” her love says with that knee-weakening smirk of hers.

“You better.” Alice nods leaning in still glancing between Margot’s eyes and her lips before their kiss started.

They only break apart when the front door slams closed telling them plainly of the legends abrupt exit from the house.

 


	3. From One Father to Another

Robin wasn’t really paying attention to just where he was going only that he needed a stiff drink and he needed it as soon as possible.

It wasn’t until he was well into his fourth glass that he noticed the bar he’d found. “The Rabbit Hole. Figures.” He grumbles into his glass. He really should thank Regina once he’d finished his wallowing. Whiskey truly is a good drink for dealing with troubles.

“You might want to slow down on those.”

The legend didn’t look up from flicking peanuts into the empty glass he’d set up each one pushing the glass farther across the bar top. “Emma called you.” He says as the shepherded sheriff signaled for his own drink.

“Well, first Ruby called then Emma then Regina.” David nodded “All three say you stormed out when Robin and Alice started to kiss”

The sound of his daughter’s name from another father’s lips brought another pained stab of pride to the scruffy-faced man’s chest. “Word to the wise Zelena is on the warpath for what you did to her baby. Her words and the only reason she hadn’t used magic to bring you back to the house yet is Robin begging her not to. She thinks you still need your space. But, unless you want to die again, I would steer clear until Mean Green cools down.” He repeats with a smirk at his own daughter’s nickname for Zelena.

The archer spluttered at the warning his next shot with the peanut missing it mark entirely and hitting a glass bottle of what Robin hoped was water shelved on the wall behind the bar not realizing until David had said it how his actions might have looked to an outsider. “I didn’t leave because of _that_. I don’t care that my little girl is with another woman _._  To me love is love. For heaven's sake, I fell in love with the Evil Queen of all women. Just as long as she’s happy with her choice and that person is treating her like the princess she is.”

“Regina keeps trying to tell them that, but given what everyone I talked to said I think that the look on your face- the pain in your eyes- just brought back all Robin’s old insecurities when you just left as you did.”

“Insecurities?”

David recoiled as if he’d been struck shaking his head. “I shouldn’t…” he backtracked blaming it on the shots starting to kick in for the slip.

“Why would my princess be insecure?”

Again, David shook his head, but the legend cut him off. “Tell me. Please as one father to another. Why can’t my daughter look me in the eye?” He already had his suspicions, but he wanted to know for sure before speaking them.

Instead of answering David pulled out his phone “Emma recorded this for me to show you.” The royal by marriage takes another shot of whiskey before feeling brave enough to hit the play button sliding it over across the peanut shells and splashes of sloshed drinks littering the bar top between them.

Dorothy and Ruby and the ‘brat pack’ were gone presumably keeping Briel entertained in another part of the house while her adopted mother was having her meltdown.

“I said stop Mom alright. Cursing at him won’t bring him back.” was saying her words hard to hear given just how much she was trembling from the circle of Alice’s arms turning her pain tear stained eyes toward the ranting woman in question currently off screen from the phone’s vantage point. “and seriously Aunt Regina… how can you say he loves me when I’m just a reminder of what your own sister did to him?”

Before he could ask David answers. “Zelena came clean with her as soon as she was old enough to understand what rape meant.” Now it was Robin’s turn to flinch, but his gaze didn’t waver from the phone screen when his daughter spoke again.

“You told me all these stories about Dad going out of his way to keep me safe about how he died to keep Hades from using me for some spell but that’s what any parent would do with a baby. I mean it’s a baby they are innocent of course you protect them. But adults.” She shakes her head burying it against Alice’s shoulder once again as more tears came.

The video stops then freezing on Alice curling around his daughter looking both understanding and equally upset.

“How did you handle it all?” the other father asks sloshing the contents of his glass as he pushes it away his eyes still on the darkening screen. “Suddenly waking up to find the daughter you knew only as a baby herself is suddenly a full woman one who really doesn’t need her father anymore.” He clarifies as the other man tips his own drink to his lips.

“I’m still navigating that. I mean it’s just so much time to make up for so many milestones in her life that I missed.” Charming says his eyes unfocused as they gaze down at his drink thinking of the parallels between Robin and himself. “But there are also all the ones I got to be a part of. Seeing her accept her destiny and save not only Snow and I but the town time after time, seeing her handle everything with Neal, everything with Hook like that time he picked her up for their first real date and I was more than a little hard on him then doing to same thing a little bit when he asked my permission to marry her, getting to walk her down the aisle,” Charming takes a long breath spinning the half empty glass between his hands “There are times even now when Emma has said she is okay with me going full ‘Dad mode’ as she calls is.” He says with a small smile “And your daughter only has one kid mine has two.” He joked lifting the glass to his lips one last time.

“But….” David says nudging his shoulder against Robin’s waving off the offer for more liquor but taking the bottle of water the bartender offered him. “You at least have something I really didn’t.” At Robin’s puzzled look he says, “I have to piece together my daughter’s younger years, but you can just ask anyone in town what she was like.”

“I can but I still have to live with the fact that I didn’t even get to name her before…well before I died and now, I’m suddenly back in her life. She is just as beautiful as I knew she would be she has a name and not just a name but Zelena gave her my name. My Robin has a name she has love and she even has a daughter of her own.”

David nodes in agreement “But she also still needs her father.” He says signaling for the archer be switched to water as well. “And look at it from her point of view.”

Robin pauses looking back at the now blackened cell phone screen, but David shakes his head pocketing the device before he speaks. “She spent so much of her life trying to live up to the shadow you cast and for the most part, in the beginning, I will admit, she was a completely royal brat but then she grew up and realized what it really was to be your daughter. Now your back so she doesn’t know what to do with her life when she doesn’t really need to carry your mantel anymore.”

At the defensive grumbling at his daughter being a brat, David comes back with a pointed “Come on she’s is half Mills can you really expect her to be any different?”

After some thought the legend nodded taking a sip of his water. “I hope she took after her aunt once she found that young lady of hers.”

David nodded then laughed “You would have been proud. She accused Alice of being a spy and threatened her with an arrow the first they met and then when Alice tried to run, she was caught in one of your daughter’s traps.”

“So, she pulled a Princess Charming to catch her love.” Robin laughed clinking their glasses again. The original Prince Charming nodes not having thought of it that way all yet.

“To our Princesses.” David toasts clinking his glass with Robin’s.

“So, seems like you two are having a good time.”

Both men turn at the same time toward the newcomer to the now closed bar. “Rogers called.” Is all she says at her husband’s raised eyebrow. “He’s waiting out in the car.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap will be a two-parter.


End file.
